One of my greatest passions is teaching French and fostering a love for the language and culture amongst my students. While it is absolutely possible to do that in the French classroom, I wanted to create a French Club where I could share my enthusiasm with like-minded individuals who were also passionate about French. This project has been on my heart ever since I started teaching at my high school, 7 years ago. Between two maternity leaves and years of co-vid restrictions, this dream finally became a reality upon my return to teaching this year! In this blog post, I’m going to highlight 10 insightful steps to creating a vibrant and engaging French club that will foster a sense of community and appreciation for all things French in your school.
1. Define Your Purpose And Goals For Your French Club
Before diving into the logistics, take a moment to clarify the purpose and goals of your French club. Some questions to reflect upon may include:
- Why do you want to start a French club?
- Are you focused on language learning, cultural exposure, or a mix of both?
- What specific aspects of French language and culture are you most passionate about?
- Who is the target audience for your French club? (ex. Particular grades or proficiency levels)
- What percentage of the time will you be talking in French?
- What are your expectations of the students?
- What do you hope students gain from your French club?
- What resources are available to support your French club?
Knowing your objectives will guide your club’s activities and help attract students who share similar interests. These foundational steps will also ensure that every decision and effort you make aligns with the vision you have for your French club.
2. Gather A Core Team
Recruit a small group of dedicated individuals who share your passion for the French language and culture. This could include fellow French teachers, other francophiles, or senior French students looking to grow their resume and share their experiences with other club members. Having a diverse team will help distribute responsibilities and bring diverse perspectives that will enrich the club’s planning and execution. The core team will also play a crucial role in shaping the club’s identity, fostering a sense of community and providing valuable insights.
While it is possible to start up a French club by yourself, there are undeniable advantages when this becomes a collaborative affair. If you are the only French teacher in your school, consider reaching out to a like-minded colleague who could provide support if you are sick or need a break. By sharing the workload, you will benefit from a diverse set of skills, ideas, and knowledge. This will ultimately enhance the overall effectiveness and success of your French club and maintain your sanity at the same time!
3. Select A Meeting Schedule
Determine how often your club will meet. Is it going to be a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly French club? What day of the week works best to meet? Will the French club happen at recess, before or after school? How long will the French club last?
These are all great questions that you will want to know before starting your French club. It is important to note that consistency is key to building a strong community. A regular schedule provides a sense of predictability, allowing members to incorporate this extracurricular into their routine and prioritize their attendance.
I would also suggest that being flexible and open to feedback will be beneficial for your club’s success. Students will have evolving schedules and experience unforeseen commitments. Therefore, be flexible and open to adjusting the meeting schedule if needed. Feel free to also encourage students to provide feedback on the schedule to ensure that their needs are met.
4. Seek Funding Opportunities For Your French Club
It’s evident that running a club will cost money, especially if you want to incorporate food at your events. Try to reach out to your principal, parent council or student council coordinator to see if you can get a budget for your club. It never hurts to ask and you might be surprised by the amount you could be entitled to!
Beyond seeking financial support from administration, you can consider creative fundraising ideas within the school community to help supplement your budget. Planning events such as a French-themed bake sale or French cultural exhibitions are great ways to help raise funds and also promote the French club within the school.
Additionally, you could investigate potential partnerships with local businesses or French cultural organizations in your area that may be willing to sponsor or collaborate on events. By diversifying your funding sources and demonstrating the value your French club adds to the school community, you can secure the financial support needed to enhance the overall experience for your students without spending your own personal money.
5. Explore French Culture
Make sure to have a plan for different cultural events that you aim to do throughout the school year. These events can be related to French cuisine, art, cinema, and literature. For example, you could organize themed events for French holidays (ex. La Chandeleur, Mardi Gras, etc) or host guest speakers who can share insights into various aspects of French life. Depending on your students’ capabilities and interests, you could also host a French book club, run a French art exhibition, or have them participate in a crêpe making contest.
By offering an array of cultural events and activities, your French club will be a place where students can discover, appreciate, and grow in intercultural awareness. These cultural experiences will increase your member’s engagement and make the extracurricular more enjoyable and rewarding.
6. Prepare Language Learning Opportunities in Advance
There are so many wonderful French learning opportunities that you could incorporate in your French club. To start, create a list of different engaging activities and games that will encourage your members to practice and improve their French skills throughout the school year.
For example, you could show an acclaimed French movie with subtitles in English or some appropriate TikTok clips to enhance oral comprehension. Furthermore, you could run a few French conversation circles to improve French speaking and listening. In addition, you could also showcase different avenues where French language learning could take students in the future, such as the DELF exam. The possibilities are endless!
By planning these language learning opportunities in advance, you will ensure that you have French club content for years to come and eliminate future planning. These language learning opportunities are essential as members will be immersed in the language and develop their French proficiency at the same time.
7. Promote Your French Club
Make sure to spread the word about your French club to your school community! Consider making a school announcement that could be said over the PA system, put an advertisement in the school newsletter, and a creative post on the school’s social media accounts. You could also create visually appealing graphics to showcase your club by using Canva or allow an artistic student to showcase their talents in your advertisement. These graphics or posters could also be displayed as a visual reminder throughout the school on various bulletin boards or in the hallway.
Whatever way you choose to advertise, make sure to include a brief synopsis of what the club is, what to expect, the club’s target audience, where and when it will occur and contact information if students need to reach out for more information.
8. Create a Welcoming Environment
Fostering inclusivity and ensuring a welcoming atmosphere for all students within your French club should be another essential component for its success. There will likely be a diverse range of students, spanning from different grade and proficiency levels. Consider running some icebreaker activities for your first few meetings and have members introduce themselves to one another. This will create an open space for sharing ideas and experiences related to French culture.
It is also essential to emphasize that your French club is a non-judgemental zone where members can feel comfortable expressing themselves at their own pace. Linguistic insecurities are very common among many students, especially when learning a new language. Remind members that making mistakes is a natural part of the learning process and never something that they should be ashamed of. Feel free to share your personal experiences or stories of overcoming language challenges to inspire confidence.
9. Ask Your French Club Members What THEY Want
Make sure that you also touch base with your French club members and ask them what they are hoping from your French club. What are some of their expectations? What do they hope to accomplish? What events or activities are they interested in?
By seeking their opinions and ideas, you will tailor the club’s activities and events to meet their needs and interests. This collaborative approach ensures a continual and open dialogue within your community that will ultimately contribute to a more enriching and enjoyable experience for each francophile in your club!
10. Create A List of French Enrichment Opportunities Outside of School
Sometimes we have students who are obsessed with French and they seek advice for French enrichment opportunities outside of school. Draft up a list of extra resources or suggestions on how they can practice and improve their French outside of the French club. You could create a French Club Website or Instagram account, where you showcase different resources that they can pursue during their free time to improve their reading, writing, listening or speaking skills.
If you need some ideas, here are a couple of my favorites that I recommend often to my students: Lyric Training, Duolingo, Smash Education (need a license for this one), French movies or TV shows on Netflix, Rosetta Stone, TV5 Monde, Alliance française, different French podcasts or YouTube channels, RFI Savoirs, idéllo, Radio-Canada, FR+ along with age-appropriate French novels.
Have other recommendations? Let me know in the comments!
Conclusion
In closing, a French Club can be such a rewarding experience for your French students and community. It serves as a valuable supplement to French class by offering a space to reinforce students’ language skills and deepen their cultural understanding. Beyond its academic significance, a French club also has the power to motivate students and instill a genuine love for the language and its rich culture. Finally, it can also be a strategic initiative to encourage students to take French all throughout high school.
I hope that this blog post gave you some inspiration and helped give you a vision and starting point for creating a club inoubliable in your school!
Bonne chance!
~Emily
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